The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)

Day 190: Returning to the Visitation

July 9th, 2025  |  13 mins 57 secs

ark of the covenant, ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, charity, elizabeth, father mark mary, father mark-mary, finding focus, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, independent meditation, joyful mysteries, mary, meditation, motherhood, poetry, practice, prayer, prose, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, song, visitation

We continue practicing meditation with our mental archive, returning to Mary as the Ark of the Covenant, understanding the Visitation as our invitation to song, and Mary’s charity and love towards us. With Fr. Mark-Mary, we pray through the “four R’s,” asking God to reveal his grace to us through the mystery. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Visitation and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 170: Grit and Grace

June 19th, 2025  |  12 mins 20 secs

ain karim, antonio barluzzi, art, art meditations, ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, elizabeth, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, joyful, joyful mysteries, mary, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, virtues, visio divina, visitation

Mary’s journey to visit Elizabeth is brought to life through Antonio Barluzzi’s mosaic, where Mary travels by donkey through rugged hills, accompanied by angels who walk beside her rather than carry her. This powerful detail highlights Mary’s strength and humility. She is a model of self-giving love, reminding us that holiness often unfolds through perseverance and sacrifice. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Visitation and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

All of the Sacred Art we’ll be meditating with can be found in the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide, for free linked in the complete prayer plan, or in the Ascension App. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 150: God Will Provide

May 30th, 2025  |  12 mins 6 secs

angel, art, art meditations, ascension, care, catholic church, catholic faith, father, father mark mary, father mark-mary, federico maldarelli, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, joseph, joyful, joyful mysteries, paternal, provide, providence, provision, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, st. joseph, visio divina, visitation

Mary was not the only one who received an angelic visitor. Joseph too was directed by an angel to take Mary, his wife, into his home. Fr. Mark-Mary, meditating on Joseph’s presence at the Visitation, shares this as an example of God’s providential care towards Mary and towards all his children. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Visitation and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

All of the Sacred Art we’ll be meditating with can be found in the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide, for free linked in the complete prayer plan, or for free in the Ascension App. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 131: Worship and Warmth

May 11th, 2025  |  12 mins 17 secs

adoration, angels, art, art meditations, ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, christmas, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, giovanni antonio pellegrini, joseph, love, mary, nativity, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, visio divina, visitation, warmth, worship

What  will be true in heaven is already true in the manger at Bethlehem. Already, heaven and earth bend the knee in worship of Jesus to the glory of God the Father. Fr. Mark-Mary draws our attention to the gaze of Mary, Joseph, and the angels, fixed on Jesus, in Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini’s painting of the Nativity. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Nativity and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

All of the Sacred Art we’ll be meditating with can be found in the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide, for free linked in the complete prayer plan, or in the Ascension App. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 130: Joy in the Darkness

May 10th, 2025  |  13 mins 24 secs

art, art meditations, ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, chiaroscuro, darkness, elizabeth, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, future, hope, light, mary, plan, rembrandt, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, the visitation, trust, visio divina, visitation, zachariah, zechariah

So often, our futures are shrouded in mystery and darkness. It can be hard to see where God’s plan is leading. Fr. Mark-Mary highlights the dynamics of light and darkness in Rembrandt’s painting, The Visitation, revealing two women who may not see every step of God’s plan, but trust in him regardless. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Visitation and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

All of the Sacred Art we’ll be meditating with can be found in the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide, for free linked in the complete prayer plan, or in the Ascension App. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 110: Greater Seeks Lesser

April 20th, 2025  |  12 mins 10 secs

ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, elizabeth, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, generosity, greater, humility, joyful, joyful mysteries, lesser, mary, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, saint, saint reflections, seek, seeking, visitation,  st. ambrose

God doesn’t just stay in heaven and wait for us to approach him. Instead, as reflected in the mystery of the Visitation, God comes in search of us.  Fr. Mark-Mary tells us, reading from  St. Ambrose, that not only does Mary, the mother of God, seek out Elizabeth, but she even greets her first. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Visitation and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 90: Consoling Mother

March 31st, 2025  |  13 mins 58 secs

ascension, catholic, catholic church, catholic faith, catholicism, consolation, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, joyful, joyful mysteries, mary, mother, mother teresa, motherhood, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, saint, saint reflections, st. alphonsus, st. alphonsus liguori, st. mother theresa, visitation

We read from St. Alphonsus Liguori’s On the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin, recognizing that Mary’s office as Mother means that she will console us. Fr. Mark-Mary shares a prayer from St. Mother Theresa, and guides us through a reflection on Mary’s motherhood. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Visitation and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 70: The Faith of Mary

March 11th, 2025  |  14 mins 38 secs

ascension, belief, blessed is she, catholic, catholic church, catholic faith, catholicism, elizabeth, faith, faithfulness, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, god’s faithfulness, joyful, joyful mysteries, mary, promises, receive, rejoice, request, respond, revelation, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, visitation

In the Visitation, God is revealing that he keeps his promises. Fr. Mark-Mary leads us in lectio divina, meditating on finding blessedness in our faith in God, like Mary who believed in God’s promises. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Visitation and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 50: Rejoice in the Beauty

February 19th, 2025  |  9 mins 33 secs

catholic, catholic church, catholicism, faith, joy, joyful, joyful mysteries, mary, meditation, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, st. elizabeth, visitation

God takes our ordinary and turns it into the extraordinary. Fr. Mark-Mary leads us through a meditation on the mystery of the Visitation, focusing on the Magnificat, describing how Elizabeth’s words of joy turn into song in Mary. Similarily, God enters the narratives of our lives, turning our prose into poetry and song, making our lives into something beautiful. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Visitation and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

Day 30: The New Ark

January 30th, 2025  |  12 mins 44 secs

ark of the covenant, covenant, elizabeth, historical context, joy, joyful, joyful mysteries, mary, meditation, old testament, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, visitation

In the Old Testament, God met his people, dwelt with them, and brought them victory through the Ark of the Covenant. As we explore the Biblical roots of the Mysteries of the Rosary, Fr. Mark-Mary reveals how Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant, drawing parallels between the Visitation and the book of 2 Samuel. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Visitation and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.